Harlows study

Question 1

What was the aim of Harlow study?

Answer 1

He also wanted to see what baby monkeys valued more, food or comfort.

Question 2

What were the procedures of Harlow study?

Answer 2

• laboratory experiment
• 8 infant rhesus monkeys taken from their mothers at birth and kept separately in a cage with two substitute mothers
• a cloth mother covered in a cloth blanket and a wire mother
• for 4 out of the 8 monkeys the wire mother incorporated their feeding bottle
• for the other 4 monkeys the cloth mother had it
• the monkeys were kept in these conditions for a period of time and then released in to a cage with a group of normally reared monkeys
• to see how the monkeys would react when frightened, Harlow put a mechanical teddy bear drummer in the cage.

Question 3

Findings

Answer 3

• the infant monkeys preffered to spend time with the cloth mother even if they were fed by the wire mother
• the monkeys all ran to the cloth mother when frightened by the mechanical toy
• when returned to the company of the normally reared monkeys, they showed signs of inappropriate behaviour and delinquincy.
• could not form relationships and were aggressive to any monkey who tried to mate with them
• if they did have offsping, the privated monkeys neglected the baby, ignored it and pushed it away when it tried to make contact.